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Reflection on Genesis 28:10-22

“Know tat I am with you and I will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for O will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.”

ObservationJacob leaves Beersheba and heads towards Haran looking for a suitable wife. He sleeps at a particular place along the way and dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven with angels coming and going upon it.The Lord appears to Jacob and confirms the promise made to Jacob’s father Abraham. He promises that Jacob’s offspring will be like the dust of the earth and that the Lord will go with him.Jacob wakes up and sets up a memorial stone. He calls the place Bethel, meaning House of God.

ApplicationJacob was seeking a wife, but found God first. It would take another, more violent, encounter with the Lord before Jacob would be surrendered to the Lord’s purposes.The Lord is always with us- we cannot flee from Him. He is often reaching out to us. But, because we a re preoccupied with our own concerns, we miss Him.We need to be ready to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit at any time, not just when we are seeking Him.

PrayerFather, I thank you that you are constantly revealing yourself to the hearts of men and women. Help me to listen to your voice in the midst of daily living. Amen.